Impact Ventures Cohort 1

We just finished out first cohort for Impact Ventures this last November. We originally accepted 10 startup ideas but by the end of the program only 7 remained. We had a total of 10 entrepreneurs finish the program since three of the startups had cofounders who attended the program.

Below are summaries of the startups and the entrepreneurs behind them. We’ve also included a short FAQ about the program as well.

Havensent – Cris Mercado

Havensent sends resources to immigrants in need via e-mail or text, within a data platform for immigrant-serving organizations to better assess community needs and use their resources more efficiently. Havensent is founded by Cris Mercado.

HumbleBee – Joel guerrero and Miguel sanchez

CollegeBridge Cafe – Isabel Pradas and Kevin Anthony

The College Bridge Café (CBC) is a not for profit organization seeking to create an active college and other post-secondary education options access center in the Bronx. The College Bridge Cafe is founded by Isabel Pradas and Kevin Anthony.

3rd Wind Network – Noelle Minter

3rd Wind Network is a startup that helps recent retirees live an engaging life through events and activities to tackle the needs of the growing recent retiree population. 3rd Wind Network is founded by Noelle Minter.

FreeSpot – Daryl Holman Jr

CollabTrade – Christopher Kim and Grace Liu

CollabTrade is a financial education platform that helps more people learn about investing and making it more affordable through collaborative group trading. CollabTrade is founded by Christopher Kim and Grace Liu.

Some FAQs

It will most likely run on Tuesday evenings from 6-9pm starting February 2019. There are 10 sessions and a demo day. You must complete all session to be eligible for the prize.

Where is it located?

The program will be located in Hostos Community College on 149th Street and Grand Concourse

Can we bring food or will there be food provided?

We do provide a meal for the program participants

Can we work full-time and participate in the program?

Yes! Everyone who participated in the first cohort was working full time

What happens during the sessions?

There is typically a guest speaker who is a social entrepreneur or expert in a particular topic.

Each entrepreneur presents on a specific part of their business model canvas.

Group feedback on individual startups

Talks on how to build a startup

What do we have to do between sessions each week?

Every person has to prepare a weekly presentation on a part of the business model canvas

Every startup has to interview at least 10 potential customers on their startup

What type of startup idea are you looking for?

We look for three things: Real Entrepreneurs, Real Problems, and Real Solutions

The entrepreneur needs to know and understand the problem inside and out. The entrepreneur should have experienced this problem and is passionate about solving it. We also look for entrepreneurs who care about the Bronx and who are either from the community or have a strong connection to it.

We like to see that the problem is something that is facing the community and world around us. We want to know that you understand the facts about the problem as well and are not simply going off of your feelings.

Finally, we want to know that your idea is unique and innovative and actually has the potential to become a startup and work towards solving the issues in the community.

What’s the end goal for the startups that enter into Impact Ventures?

We want the entrepreneurs to enter into Impact Ventures with an idea on how to solve their problem and turn that into a startup. By the end of the program we want the entrepreneur to have a clear understanding of the various parts of their business and how to hit the ground running and make money while making an impact.

We want the business idea to be viable and operational within 6 months of the completion of the program.